A GHASTLY TRAGEDY

Otago Witness, Issue 3885, 28 August 1928, Page 26

A GHASTLY TRAGEDY

REJECTED LOVER’S ACT NURSE BRUTALLY MURDERED ASSAILANT COMMITS SUICIDE. A clump of bush bordering on the Blueskin Cemetery and not more than 200 yards from the Orokonui Mental Hospital was the scene of a ghastly tragedy late on Thursday night. Margaret MTnnes, a nurse at the home, was brutally murdered by her rejected lover, Thomas Ellis, who then committed suicide. The murdered woman, who had been acting in a temporary capacity at the home since the beginning of this month, had previously been stationed at the Seacliff Mental 'Hospital. There she had met Ellis, who had been working as a bricklayer and plasterer on the construction of a new building at the institution. Apparently they -were on very friendly terms until a few days ago, when they quarrelled. Nurse MTnnes, who was said to be undecided between two men, had resolved to discontinue keeping company with Ellis, who, as a result, visited the home, which he left at 8 p.m. accompanied by the nurse. Shortly before midnight he was found in the hospital grounds with his throat badly gashed, and at 5.30 on Friday morning the body of Nurse MTnnes was discovered nearby. She had been first stunned by blows on the back of the neck and the forehead with a large stone wrapped in a handkerchief, and then her throat had been cut with the pocket knife with which the murderer had taken his own life. The fact that the stone must have been carried some distance supports the theory that the act was premeditated.

The unfortunate woman, who was 25 years of age, came to New Zealand from England when a little girl, 17 years ago. Her home was at Abbotsford, but during the past two years she had been employed as a nurse at Seacliff, where she showed herself to be unusually capable. Her cheerful disposition, moreover, made her very popular. Ellis, who was about 34 years of age, had been residing at Waverley, and had been working in Dunedin until four months ago, when he found employment at Seacliff. It 'is understood that he had been divorced from his wife. At 6.30 on Thursday evening Ellis knocked at the door of the female portion of the institution, and was answered by the matron. He said that he had . an urgent message for Nurse MTnness, and was invited inside. Apparently he stayed for only a few minutes after the nurse’s arrival. When he had gone it was noticed that she had been weeping. “ I saw my friend,” she told the matron, “ and he had bad news for me.” What the news was she did not divulge. After leaving the home Ellis went to Leith House, in the township of Waitati. Though he betrayed no signs of nervousness he seemed to be restless. Handsome and well-dressed, he soon put himself on friendly terms with the proprietress, to whom he announced that he had come to the home to see a relative. He ate heartily, and talked cheerfully. He inquired whether he could be accommodated at the boarding house for the night, and, on being informed that all the available room had already been taken, he stated that he might go on to Dunedin. At any rate he could call the taxi in which he had come from Seacliff. When told that there was no telephone in the house he remarked that “ his girl ” could ring for him. In apparently cheerful frame of mind he left Leith House again at 7.30. At 7.50 he returned to the home and left with Nurse MTnnes. The first intimation of the tragedy came when at 11.15 an attendant, Mr J. S. O’Neill, who was acting as night watchman, heard screams coming from the direction of leading to the home. Immediately he roused ’ another attendant, Mr L. Stewart, with whom he made a hurried investigation. As they approached the avenue the agonised screams became louder, and the attendants were led by the cries to a leafy and almost hidden pathway in the bush at the side of the road. There, by the light of lanterns, they found Ellis, ' whom they did not know, lying on the ground with his throat cut and an incision on his left wrist. He was clad only in short, trousers and boots. Nothing that he was saying could be understood, and before he could be taken to the hospital building he had expired.

It was not until nearly 4 o’clock that it was discovered that Nurse MTnnes was missing. An attendant, Mr T. Ashworth, was roused, and he immediately went for Constable Pearce. On their return to the home they began a search, and at 5.25 they were horrified to fin 1, only 20 yards from the spot where Ellis had been lying, the dead body of the missing nurse. Her frightfully battered head was resting on the root of a large pine tree, anil her body was lying on a bed of pine needles. Within a radius of four feet the ground was stained with blood, but there were no signs of a struggle. There were large wounds on the top of the dead woman’s forehead and on the back of her head, and her throat was very badly gashed. The body was quite cold, and the bleeding had stopped. Near the body were a man’s overcoat, coat, waistcoat, collar and tie, a pair of kid gloves, a man’s hat, a woman’s hat, a packet of cigarettes, and a bag of chocolates. A further search revealed a large stone knotted in a handkerchief which was saturated with blood. The dead woman’s clothing had not been seriously disarranged. Later a pocket knife with the blade open and covered with blood was found eight yards from the body. The events which led up to the tragedy were revealed at the inquest held in the afternoon before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M. Nurse Muriel Laurent stated that Nurse MTnnes had confided in her. She understood that the deceased was undecided between two men, one of whom was Ellis. Ellis had quarrelled with Nurse MTnnes, who had said that at a dance at Seacliff she had danced with other men and not very often with Ellis. This had made him jealous. Later they met in Dunedin and again quarrelled, Ellis afterwards taking her to the house of a relative in South Dunedin late at night. Nurse MTnnes led witness to believe that she had finally rejected Ellis. When the murdered woman was leaving town on the previous Monday night Ellis came to the bus in a taxi. To save a scene Nurse MTnnes joined him, and he brought her to Waitati in his car. When witness was leaving for Dunedin on Tuesday night Nurse MTnnes handed her a letter addressed, “Mr T. Ellis, c/o Mr M'Kenzie, Seacliff.” It was important, she said, that it should be posted in the city. Nurse MTnnes refer! ed to the letter on Wednesday to make sure that it had been posted, and on Thursday she said that she had not i eceived a reply. She was eager to get the reply, she added, and was dreadFng the contents. She had asked Ellis several questions, and she hoped that he would answer each one. She was worried about the letter, but as far as witness knew she had made no appointment with him.

The injuries were described by Dr H. J. Tizard, who said that, besides the wounds on the head, there were scratches on Nurse MTnnes’s hands. There was no sign, however, of sexual interference. He was of the opinion that Nurse M Innes had been first stunned by a blow on the back of the head, and that her throat had subsequently been cut. The facts of this sad tragedy are only too plain,” said the coroner. “It is obvious that Nurse MTnnes was murdered by Ellis, who then cut his own throat.” A v erdict was returned accordingly.